There are many situations in industry where surfaces must be treated to achieve a desirable chemical condition. For example, polyethylene containers are treated to prevent the undesirable penetration of the walls of the containers by chemical substances. Various processes are known for treating surfaces to try to render them impervious to chemical penetration, however, none of these methods are entirely effective. The present invention provides an improved method for treating surfaces to achieve better surface condition than has been achieved heretofore in the prior art.